Judge Appoints Criminal DA to Investigate Texas Attorney General

AP Photo/Eric Gay22 Apr 2015Houston, Texas

HOUSTON, Texas– Houston attorneys Kent Schaffer and Brian Wice were appointed today to serve as Collin County Criminal District Attorneys Pro Tem (Latin for temporary) to “assist in the investigation and, if warranted, the prosecution of Ken Paxton for the securities law complaints currently under investigation by the Texas Rangers.” Texas State District Court Judge Scott J. Becker, Local Administrative Judge for Collin County, Texas, made this appointment pursuant to the authority of Article 2.07 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.

Judge Becker issued the Order as a result of the decision by the Collin County Criminal District Attorney to recuse himself in this case. Judge Becker was appointed to the bench by Governor Rick Perry in 2010 and was elected that same year. He served as an Assistant District Attorney in Collin County prior to his appointment.

In a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas, Schaffer and Wice stated:

While neither of us have ever been full-time prosecutors, Judge Becker believed that with our combined experience of almost seven decades as criminal defense lawyers at both the trial and appellate levels, we were uniquely qualified to handle an investigation of this magnitude. Both of us have been special prosecutors on high profile matters, and are keenly aware of our oaths “not to convict, but to see that justice is done.” Our investigation, one whose scope and duration we cannot predict, will be full and fair and will take us wherever the facts lead us without regard to partisan politics. Because the hallmark of any grand jury investigation is confidentiality, we do not expect to be commenting in the immediate future.

Brian Wice represented former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom Delay in his successful appeal of his conviction. Wice also represented NFL player Adrian Peterson in a recent high-profile case along with attorney Rusty Hardin. Peterson plead no contest to child abuse for spanking his son with a tree switch. He also serves as the legal analyst for KPRC-TV in Houston.

Kent Schaffer has been practicing criminal law for over 30 years and began his legal career as an investigator for the legendary criminal defense lawyer Richard “Racehorse” Haynes. Schaffer has represented business and political figures such as former Houston Mayor Fred Hofheinz, U.S. Congressman Craig Washington, Robert Allen Stanford, and a variety of entertainers and athletes.

This article has been updated.

Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2